Well, This Sucks
by dreamwithinadream262
Summary: When your house burns down under some unforeseen circumstances, living with your cousins isn't the worst thing that could happen. But when you've got the most emotionally inept family out there, and one is part of some club (gang? whatever...)- called the Akatsuki, things get a bit more chaotic. Well, at least the uniforms aren't that bad. Rated M for swearing
1. Well, this sucks

**After some deliberation, I've decided to rewrite WTS, not on the premise that I want to change it completely, but to reconstruct it better to fit the storyline. More so to help it flow better with the characters and the relationships. So yes, it will be a lot different, but also the same. **

**And for those who have just stumbled upon this, I hope you enjoy.**

**Summary:**_ When your house burns down under some unforeseen circumstances, living with your cousins isn't the worst thing that could happen. But when you've got the most emotionally inept family out there, and one is part of some club (gang? whatever...)- called the Akatsuki, things get a bit more chaotic. Well, at least the uniforms aren't that bad._

**I, dreamwithinadream262 do not own Naruto.**

* * *

_**~oOo~**_

* * *

If there were **_two_** things Aiko knew for sure, it'd be that **_one_**: this summer royally sucked, and _**two**_: she'd have some irreparable hearing damage after this.

Sure, with Konoha's unnaturally convenient weather, she didn't have to complain about sweating, or freezing her ass off within, or out of the confines of her home, but the weather, despite being a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit at the moment had attracted _them. _She'd watched _them _from her window in amusement and mild horror, strutting down the street like zombies in a alcohol-induced stupor; some wearing the most ridiculous outfits she'd ever seen since, well, last Halloween. And let it be known, that last Halloween's batch of "adult-sexy" costumes were the most ridiculous batch of glorified underwear ever known to man.

Now, standing on her neighbor's porch with the most killer headache ever imagined, Aiko would've taken a offensive costume over this torture any day.

"You rang?" The door swung open, and _oh-so-surprisingly, _the world's most obvious asshole answered, and he didn't look too happy to see her by the way his smile dissipated almost immediately. Alright by her, their mutual hatred was the only thing _they_ had in_ common._

An irritated snort. "_Uchiha."_

"_Hozuki._" She tried to keep her tone even, and ignored the way his lip curled when he said, no _spat_ out her last name. Whatever, would've been creepy if he said it any other way. "And yes, I rang. Twenty-three times actually. You might want to have your bell checked, or your ears, or turn your music down. I doubt you can hear anything with this racket. It's probably breaking more than one legal code about disturbing the peace."

Suigetsu seemed less pleased leaning in his doorway, hair color that could only be described as _white toner_ gleaming under the tacky black light installed in the foyer. She wondered how he ever got it that color. "-And I'd hate to remind you that it's only 2 in the morning on a Tuesday no, less and some of us enjoy this beautiful thing called sleep. Us meaning me specifically. Yeah. Turn that music down."

She snorted when her long string of huffed out words made his expression darken to obvious irritation. Since the unfortunate day, seven years ago when they became neighbors, they still harbored the same mutual distaste for one another. Wasn't her fault though, she'd actually considered being friends with the 10 year old brat at the time...but he'd turned out to be a complete jerk, and smashed her homemade cookies into her face. Seven years later, and he'd turned into the undeniable douche-bag she predicted him to be. Except this time, he'd accept her cookies without saying thank you, not that she was going to bake for him anytime in the near future.

They engaged in an odd staring battle (more like glaring battle), tacky techno-pop blaring in the background. After about a minute of full silence between them, it seemed as if her request (demand), had fallen on deaf ears. Then, for some odd reason, Suigetsu's expression changed and he opened his mouth.

"Are those your pajamas?" He eyed her curiously, taking another gulp of what Aiko assumed was beer. In fact, now that she looked, he was holding a case of beer in his other hand.

The question caught her off guard. Suigetsu wasn't really a question type of guy. More like a do-stupid-shit-and-regret-it-later type.

Looking down, it was her usual long flannel pants paired with some random tee-shirt she'd found at the bottom of her hamper. Thinking about it, perhaps she was an odd sight, hair haphazardly thrown into a messy bun, looking like she'd just rolled out of bed- which was exactly the case. But besides the fact that it was way early in the morning, the fact remained that this _was_ still a _party_, and it would be a lie to say Aiko blended in.

Ignoring the pang of insecurity she felt, her gaze returned to Suigetsu. "Um...yeah?"

_Way to go Aiko, what an intelligent response._ But what else was she supposed to say? These are my bangin' pajamas, I hate you, and goodnight?

"Looks good." He said passively after a what seemed like an eternity, low voice barely audible.

She faltered. "Um...what?"

Her ears were definitely playing tricks on her.

"I said," another gulp, "looks good."

_Yeah he's most definitely lost it._

Aiko eyebrows knitted together as he faced pulled off the best _what the hell? _expression ever. Suigetsu Hozuki had just complimented her...or at least, that's what she thought. She didn't mistake the mutual irritation when he'd answered the door. And they'd even done the whole cliche regarding each-other by their last names like they were in some 50's greaser movie! You know, he'd always been a weird kid. Maybe he was experiencing mood swings...or maybe it had to do with the fact that-

_Oh...that was it._

"Hozuki?" The guy in question blinked harshly, stared at her- or actually through her, and smiled. Man this was weird. "...Hozuki?" She waved an hand in front of his face: little to no reaction. "HOZUKI!" _nada. Darn it all_. The name felt like acid on her tongue. "Suigetsu?"

"Huh, yeah?" His words slurred together a bit, and he leaned against the doorway like he was exhausted.

"You're drunk."

"Very." He affirmed.

"And you just complimented me, sort of. Was that a compliment?"

He shrugged.

_The dangers of alcohol, being nice to people you usually hate. _Aiko thought. _Now if only Suigetsu acted like drunk Suigetsu all the time._

Before Aiko had the chance to bid her very drunk, moody neighbor behind, pounding footsteps coming from inside the house gained her attention. Maybe this was the sign for her to leave, but morbid curiosity kept her standing there.

Oi!" A new voice interjected, causing Suigetsu to whip around angrily. Yep, definitely a moody drunk. A moody, functioning drunk. The ginger in question barely noticed the girl standing five feet in front of him, nor the fact that she was shamelessly staring, because the guy was jacked to hell. Admittedly, she'd seen him from her window at the Hozuki residence on multiple occasions, but never close up."-We've got a bit of trouble back there. Kimimaro's group decided to show, and they aren't happy, or drunk...yet." he relayed, irritation seeping into his words.

Suigestu's brow creased, and damn...did he look confused. "Sound? We've got no problems with them...why would they choose to come around now of all times?"

"Don't know, don't care- but someone's gotta greet the dude before he gets offended. You're the only one who know's him, and Mangetsu's been MIA since taking body shots with that Iwa girl." Jugo said. Actually looking ahead of him for once- the guy had the observance to actually notice the girl standing on the porch. "Who's this?" He asked accusingly. "If you're going to skip out on your party for some chick, at least have the decency to leave the beer."

Seriously, did the ginger dude not notice her pajamas? Did she look like she was trying to hook up with her neighbor?!

"Who's Suigetsu ditching with?" Another voice chimed in, and an obviously feminine voice at that. Didn't take long for Aiko to notice the strikingly bold redhead clinging to Jugo's arm, nor the defiant smirk she wore. Bold in the fact that her strikingly short, purple neon dress made her hard to miss. Making eye contact, both of the girls engaged in a silent conversation, which ended in the same conclusion.

They hated each other.

_Great. There was more of them._ Nice to know there drunk, gang members next door who were most likely involved in shady shit that she watched on _Konoha Cold Case_ each night. If two was a company, and three was a crowd, four must've been too many, and she was going to eject herself from the conversation immediately. Well...maybe not_ immediately, _cause this was kind of amusing, but eventually!

"-Don't know Karin." Jugo responded, ticked off. "But that's besides the point."

"She's not a chick, Jugo. She's Aiko." The silver-haired teen reeled back in laughter, and it was then Jugo caught unto the slur in his_ friend's_ voice, and promptly face-palmed.

"Fucking great." Jugo cursed. "you're wasted!"

"Very." Aiko cut in. Especially if he used her first name. That rarely happened, unless he wanted to seriously tick her off- which he was, just not as much as usual.

"I'm was-ted!" Suigetsu sang in a sing-song voice. "Completely, and utterly drunk!"

"-And you're drunken self is going to say hello to Kimimaro _before they pound our faces in_, because if that happens _I'll pound your face in,__** repeatably**_!" With one shove, Jugo pulled Suigetsu from the doorway, and pushed him down the hall to supposedly greet the members of Sound, which Aiko assumed was a gang. The girl, Karin, followed in suit, mostly to make sure their white-haired pal wouldn't fall and have a very intimate moment with the tiled floor. Even though it'd be funny as hell, driving him to the hospital wasn't something they liked to do in their free time.

"He's such an idiot..." The guy in front of her muttered, and Aiko couldn't help but hum in agreement.

Unfortunately, this hum of agreement caused him to notice her once more, and it was at this moment she wondered why she was still standing there in the first place. By this time, she could've walked back to the comfort of her home, and indulged in the sin of gluttony by eating a crap ton of ice-cream while watching Gossip Girl, or whatever other addicting shows you could binge-watch in the summer.

"Uhm...Hi." He said a tad awkwardly, not because he was awkward socially, but the random girl on the porch put him off. "I'm Jugo...and you are?"

_Abort mission, return home. ABORT MISSION. TERMINATE. GO HOME WHILE YOU STILL CAN _her mind screamed.

"Aiko..." She said after a long beat of silence. "Aiko Uchiha. I live next door actually."

_Termination failed._

Something about the way his eyes lit up at her last name made her a tad uncomfortable. (Aiko was lucky Karin didn't hear her last name.) She wasn't going to lie, he intimidated her just a little bit. Maybe it was due to the fact he had a good foot, and then some on her. Damn Giant.

"Uchiha..." He mused aloud, all traces or anger disappearing within seconds. Seriously, did all the guys here have weird mood swings? "You don't look like the type to party."

"Ha, how could you tell? Was it the pajamas?" She gestured down towards her outfit.

Jugo laughed even further. "Pretty much, but what's someone like you doing out here at," he pulled out his phone. "practically three in the morning."

"Oh, you know...just in the neighborhood." _And sleep deprived, and kind of pissed off, amused, and a bit confused."_In fact, I think I should be heading home now, cause it's so late and all-"

"But you're already here. Why don't you just stay!" He protested.

_What? Why me? Oh no..._

"I don't think that's a good idea-" She lamented.

"What do you have planned tonight?" He asked.

She looked down and shrugged. "Well nothing really, but still-"

"Then come on in!"

Before she could protest further, Jugo had a hand clamped firmly on her shoulder, and steered her inside.

Should've just left while she had the chance.

* * *

**_~oOo~_**

* * *

If there were **_three_** things Aiko knew for sure, it'd be that **_one_**: this summer royally sucked, **_two_**: she'd have some irreparable hearing damage after this, and_** three**_: she was not a party person.

Her type of party was more like a party of one, no reservation required- and consisted of rolling up into her blankets like a human sushi roll whilst eating chips and wasting her life on the internet.

Also, it was hard to get over the fact that she was sitting on the couch of someone she practically hated, or at least regarded with some animosity. The last time she'd sat on this couch was what, maybe six years ago? And it certainly wasn't under any good circumstances. Involuntarily shivering, Aiko wondered how much this couch had lived through...what had happened _on_ it.

And thus her mind receded far into the gutter, and she decided that thinking was two parts good, and one part horrifying and she should stop thinking or else her increasing anxiety and paranoia would capsize and swallow her whole.

_I don't belong here..._She thought for the millionth time, watching people shamelessly _dance, _(off beat she might add), to the chorus of another pop song she'd heard on the radio far too many times to count. It was a fairly explicit sight. Most of the people seemed to be her age and in high-school, or in college. Glancing down at the red-solo cup in her hands, Aiko grimaced. She didn't drink, mostly because it was illegal and her family was practically the law. But Aiko deducted that's why so many people flocked to this whole shebang. Free alcohol.

You know, if her parents caught her here, she'd be an Aiko-kabob. It'd be real Uchiha Massacre for sure, her last request being that they burn her laptop and delete the history, not because she was into _that_, but it'd only prove in point how much of a no-life she had.

Thankfully, no one was here that she recognized. _Oh, if Hinata saw me now..._

"You're not into this party scene either, huh?" An indifferent voice rang in from the other side of the couch. Aiko blinked, turning her attention over to the guy. She'd noticed him before when he sat down, the main thing about him being that he was seriously pale. Paler than she was, which was pretty impressive as Uchiha's had a track record for that, and in the middle of summer you'd think everybody would have some sort of a tan-or burn. If his skin were one shade lighter, he'd be glowing in the dark light. Other than that, his features were a striking contrast, pitch black hair and obsidian eyes which seemed a bit sad. Kind of reminded her of Sasuke.

"Yep." She answered, a dash of mirth in her words. "You could say I'm a bit of a party virgin. And you?"

"I don't like crowds." He simply said, and said nothing else. Just looked forward at the wall like the whole event bored him.

"Ah, me neither." Yeah, that answer definitely reminded her of her cousin...but if he were here, he'd most likely grumble incoherently under his breath until the night was over.

A few minutes passed.

"...Are you going to drink that?"

"What?"

The mystery, anti-social dude pointed to the lone cup sitting on the glass coffee table, which was littered with fingerprints that made Aiko want to spaz out.

"Are you going to drink that?" He asked again, flashing her a smile that looked natural on him, but didn't fit the whole apathetic vibe about him.

"Uh, no...you can have it." She happily handed the cup over to him, and he flashed yet another smile before downing it in one gulp. Thinking about it, the guy looked her age. Was is illegal to give alcohol to a minor if you were a minor? Well, minors drinking was already against the law so was it like doube-ly against the law for her to do it? She'd have to ask Shisui about that sometime.

"You looked skeptical about it. The drink." He said, and Aiko thought this increase of talking had something to do with the empty cans of beer in front of him. "It's not poisoned, you know." He said it more like a statement than a question.

"I know. You could say I'm a bit paranoid." From all the stories she'd heard about spiked beverages from cliche teen movies, and novels, Aiko didn't want to risk it. Couldn't she find some nice, quality water around here? "Wouldn't want to wake up in the middle of a desert in Suna singing _Ave Maria _with a mime, and a serious hangover, because I've heard they're horrible."

"Why a mime?"

She shrugged. "Scariest thing I could think of?"

"Hm." He returned to his wall-watching.

"You know...this is all kind of like a horror movie." She rambled on, not really caring if he was listening or not. "You've got all the ingredients for it, the unsuspecting teenagers, alcohol, the whores," some part of her felt bad for saying that, but Karin drifted to her mind, and she felt a little less bad about it. Something about that girl screamed_ psycho bitch_," -The jocks," she pointed towards the crows of _dancing _college kids," the uh, tough guys," Jugo immediately drifted to her mind, he had a killer grip. "and then there's us...the loners. Not to say that you're a loner or anything but, cliches, you know?"

"Hm."

"..."

Their short lived conversation, if it could even be called that, ceased. And the saddest thing?- she could've gone home any time she wanted...but, she stayed. Even though her initial purpose of being on the property was to complain about the party, she couldn't help but stay. She'd never been invited to a party before, and this was the most social thing she'd done all summer.

Inconveniently, her phone rang, and she answered it instantly, not caring to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Aiko?" There was a brief pause, the caller sounding like he was underwater, but that was mostly due to her bad service. "Wait...are you at a party?" A low voice said accusingly. She recognized it instantly. Sasuke.

"No." She said a bit too fast, and hoped he hadn't caught on. "Sometimes I like to play my music loud. Don't go on assuming things. You know what they say about it, how it makes an ass out of people."

Damn was he perceptive. She could imagine his expression right now, smug grin harboring between concern and dark amusement.

"Hn. At three in the morning? What're you doing up?"

She looked around, and felt relieved that nobody was paying attention to her. Only the loner dude from before, but he hadn't budged from his spot and continued to stare lazily into a random corner, periodically texting on his phone. Was he wearing a belly shirt? Huh, whatever. There were weirder things in the world.

She rolled her eyes and returned to her call.

"-You're the one who called me. I could ask the same of you?" She continued, trying not to yell over the music. "What do you want?"

Sasuke, on the other end of the line paused, or hesitated. One of em'. "-I was just wondering how you were."

"Um-" she faltered, "Can you say that again?"

Yeah, she did not hear that right. Must've been the music.

"I said," He sounded less enthusiastic this time. "I was just wondering how you were."

"Oh..." What a random question.

Sasuke never cared for checking up on people. Sure, they cared about each other...they were family, but this was Sasuke... He was aloof most of the time, and had been a distant person nowadays. Last time she'd seen him was months ago. He rarely texted her, or called. Something had to be up-Not to mention the fact that it was three in the morning...and people usually didn't call others at this time. "I'm good, I guess?" She answered, feeling a bit strange "...Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." He said monotonously, and continued speaking, not missing a beat. "Where are your parents?" He asked, and Aiko rolled her eyes yet again. What was this, twenty questions?

"At that business conference...with your parents. Remember?" That was the only reason the Hozuki's party had lasted so long, because her parents wouldn't have hesitated to call the police on them. Thinking about it, she was kind of jealous. They got to spend the next two days in a Kumo resort somewhere up in the mountains. Besides the fact that it was a business trip, they still got a full-paid vacation up in a mountain resort with fabulous views, relaxing hot springs, and chocolate on their pillows every time their room was cleaned. How did she know this? Her mom didn't hesitate to go into full detail about it through text, pictures included.

"...Right." Sasuke lamented.

Aiko could've sworn she heard some pretty loud banging through the phone, and a voice that couldn't have been Sasuke's. Something about a pot burning?

"Uh..are you sure you're alright?" She asked again. What trouble was Sasuke getting into?

Sasuke cursed under his breath, something about idiotic, pyromaniac, ramen-loving blondes, and sighed. "I've got to go. Bye Aiko. Stay safe"

"Bye Sasuke." And then the line went dead.

Weird, short call.

Not noticing the stare she received at the mention of Sasuke's name, she glanced at her phone warily. What was that all about? Stay safe...cryptic much? Huh, if he actually knew where she was. She knew her cousin and her neighbors went to the same school, and apparently weren't on the best of terms. You know, maybe that was why Suigetsu was always rude to her. Enemies by association.

"Is your last name Uchiha?" The loner guy asked randomly, and Aiko responded with a curt nod before getting up from the couch. She didn't even bother to ask why he wanted to know that. This was all getting terribly boring.

Moments later, after maneuvering through random clumps of party-goers, the kitchen was in sight. Besides being the only other room she actually knew how to get to, there was also food. Well, food being a relative term; if dinosaur chicken nuggets and mini bagel-pizzas counted. There also was an assortment of baked goods, but something told her to stay away from them.

Leaning against the counter, Aiko laughed. _I'm in my neighbors house, at a party, in my pajamas, eating chicken nuggets (and they didn't even have ketchup, heathens). This is kind of lame, even for me. And I never got that loner dudes name..._But who cared? It wasn't like was going to see him around any time soon, nor did she care. Frankly, this whole party experience was lame from the get go. For it to last this long, was kind of impressive, but Aiko deducted the only true way to have fun at these things was to get a bit intoxicated, which was kind of sad. Like seriously, the only way to enjoy yourself was to impair your judgement just a bit...or a lot.

Ripping off the head of another nugget -_what was this, a brontosaurus? _It was clear to her that she'd be sharing this room with other occupants soon. The one exit leading to the hallway was her only means of escape (this wasn't some James Bond film), and with the footsteps coming closer, she couldn't leave without bumping into somebody. That was to be expected, it was a party, having people around was kind of the point- so Aiko stayed put eating her nuggets. Just, something about the sound of heels tapping on the floors gave her a sense of trepidation.

-And Aiko was kind of right, because seconds later _what was her name? Cathrine? Karen? Ka-Karin, that's it!_ strutted in, flanked by three girls who all seemed to be talking amiably amongst themselves. She could've sworn she saw one of the girl's, who sported a high pony-tail, at the hot springs on more than one occasion. She wore a crop top paired with some fabric-printed shorts, and flip-flops, which seemed pretty comfortable to Aiko. Much more comfortable than the six-inch red pumps Karin had on. The redhead's shoes would probably double as a weapon.

The other two girls Aiko didn't recognize, but they both seemed to be good friends by the way their arms were slung around one another, but that was mostly due to the fact that girl numero uno, who had dark brown hair that boarded on black and wore a mini-dress so tight it looked uncomfortable, was most definitely plastered. Her friend, wearing a sheepish smile, was dressed more modestly: a teal colored sweater with dark purple skirt that ended a few inches from her hips, and black thigh-high socks paired with some reliable combat boots. They all stumbled into the kitchen, heading towards the snack table.

"Matsuri, you- you're such a good friend. You know that, right?" Girl numero uno slurred as she raided the pile of cupcakes on the side table. "What would I do without you?"

"Uh, I don't know." Matsuri (presumably), coughed out, looking worried as if her friend were a ticking time bomb that could explode any minute. Aiko had to hand it to her, that must've been a stressful position, making sure your friend didn't accidentally pile-drive themself into the floor. "Yukata, I don't think you should eat that. You've already had-"

"No, you know what- I am a grown-up (17) and I can eat whatever I want!" Yukata turned to Aiko, and it seemed like just then everybody noticed her presence. The drunken girl took her by the shoulders with a lopsided grin. She pointed over to Matsuri. "I would die without that girl over there. She makes sure I don't cheat on my diet but really, it's hopeless. She's like a saint. A really shy, really awesome saint. You have nice hair, you know that?"

Aiko's eyes widened at the offhand compliment, velociraptor nugget freezing in her hand as she stared into the strangers eyes.

"...Thanks?"

"I'm so sorry about that-" Matsuri tried to interject, but Yukata swatted her hand away.

"- And you know what sucks? This awesome girl over there isn't confident enough to tell her crush she likes him!" Matsuri's face turned red. "Can you believe that? She's gotta grow some balls, man. And be Macho so she can tell Gaara-"

"Yukata!"

The girl in question turned around with an expression that said _you know I'm right! _and gaped. Aiko, now apart of this weird conversation, or witness to it accidentally made eye contact with Karin. Even though she was more concerned with her motor-mouthed friend, when her and Aiko's eyes met, the same _I'm out to get you_ look was still there. Although, this time it was mixed with some irritation, as Yukata was now sitting on the floor with her cupcake crying, clinging to Matsuri and making her promise that _no man would separate them and they'd be besties forever._

And these were the times Aiko was happy Hinata wasn't a party girl. Well, first being that Hiashi would murder Hinata if she ever took a sip of alcohol that wasn't at a family party, and then murder Aiko for letting Hinata anywhere near it.

The ponytail girl from before just laughed and extended an arm out to Aiko. She took it hesitantly. "I'm Emiru, and our dear Yukata isn't like this all the time. I'm afraid it's only when they come to Konoha."

_So they're not from here...would explain why I haven't seen them before. _

"In Suna she isn't any better!" Matsuri said, not fighting against the bear-hug she was unfortunately receiving. "You guys are lucky. Suna is known for it's alcohol. I barely got us home last time."

"But you love me!" Yukata called.

"Unfortunately." Matsuri sighed.

Aiko deducted that Matsuri wasn't really the party type either, but she'd never leave her friend to fend for herself.

Turning back over to Emiru, the raven-haired girl smiled. "I'm Aiko. Aiko Uchiha."

As soon as she said it, Aiko wished she hadn't. Emiru's eyes grew wide and she looked starstruck for a moment. the spark of recognition made her feel sick.

_Oh no...here it goes._

"You mean Uchiha like, the founders of Izanagi Corporations Uchiha?! The Uchiha's that own Konoha's hot springs that I've been trying to get an internship at like, forever?! That Uchiha?!"

Sometimes, Aiko forgot there were some people, such a tiny miniscule amount, that knew the esteem behind her last name. Emiru must've been a hot springs fanatic if she recognized that detail so quickly. But Izanagi corporation didn't just own hot springs; they were invested in multiple trades- which is why her parents were at the annual business meeting. To discuss such investments.

"Yeah...," Aiko coughed out. It was no use to deny it. "That Uchiha."

While Emiru continued to have what was a cross between fangirling, and a seizure, Karin looked as if somebody had just told her they canceled the TV drama _Land of Tea_ right in the middle of the _Todoroki Shrine arc. _Which meant Karin looked _horrified _and_ intrigued. _She was a person who wore her heart on her sleeve, so the many emotions flashing across her face was visible, especially when it settled on skepticism.

"Uchiha? That's got to be some kind of joke! There's no way." Karin stated, crossing her arms over her chest. Aiko deadpanned.

"-I think I know my last name..."

"But there's no, it, it just can't be!" Karin sputtered.

_Oh-kay?_ "...Why?"

And again, Aiko regretted her words, because in that moment she could've sworn she saw_ hearts, _literal cartoon _hearts _in the girl's eyes as she exclaimed her next words.

"Because there's no way my Sasuke-kun could be related to somebody like you!"

_Wait, wait, wait, what? __**Her**__ Sasuke? Please tell me I'm hearing this wrong._

"Your Sasuke...?"

Karin leaned against the counter, and scrunched up her face like _duh, you heard me right!_

Aiko had heard about her cousin and his hoard of fangirls, but she thought he was just exaggerating. But...no, they were real alright. She suddenly felt bad for her cousin. To know such a person had taken a liking to _him_; she didn't doubt all the times he'd complained of stalkers because well, Karin was emitting some serious stalker vibes right now.

"Oh god, oh god you're totally a fangirl."

Karin scoffed, and Matsuri and Yukata left the room as to avoid puking over the floor. Emiru followed in suit, throwing a smile back at her.

Karin bristled, fixing one of the straps on her dress. "I am _not_ a fangirl. I'm his soulmate. The future Mrs. Uchiha."

Aiko wanted to gag.

Yep, that whole premonition about her being a psycho was completely accurate. No, she wasn't some simple girl with a crush, because liking somebody made people say some pretty weird things all the time, but this was infatuation. Had she ever seen Sasuke? Why were so many girls into the guy who paid them no attention? Now, Aiko knew he didn't do that on purpose, the behavior was kind of built into him...but really, what did Karin know about them? What did she know about their family that made her so _certain _that Sasuke was her _soulmate_?

Aiko was so happy Karin didn't know she lived next door.

"Sure...future. Have fun with that..." Aiko muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, you know I will." Karin continued. "The only drawback is I'd be related to you by marriage. Take a good look at your future family member."

This Karin was definitely more scary than the one at the door. Thank god Sasuke would never fall for somebody like her. That, Aiko had absolute faith in. And besides, Mikoto would have Sasuke's ass if he ever brought home a girl like that. The Uchiha family had a thing about being possessive over their family members.

"And Aiko?"

She should've just walked away, but she stayed to hear Karin's last words. A sinister smile played on her cherry-red lipstick and Aiko raised a brow.

"What?"

It was like they were in a movie, the way everything seemed like slow-motion. One moment Karin was leaning against the counter, and the next, she'd thrown the contents of a random cup at her, the liquid soaring midair until it came closer, closer, closer...until that all too familiar sensation of liquid seeping into her clothes became evident.

_Are you kidding me?_

She should've seen this coming really.

A now crushed, red-solo cup lay pathetically on the floor, half of the cheap liquor soaking in between the grout of the tiles, and the other half dripping down her shirt. It was cold, her shirt was soaked, and if she didn't have a reason to be angry before- the distant laughter in front her verified that she had a reason to be now.

Karin smiled coldly, eyes crinkling at her edges, her hand raised frozen to the spot where she'd carelessly dropped the previous full cup of beer. She advanced slowly, like a leopard on the prowl, taking the collar of Aiko's shirt in her hand.

"Don't mess with Sasuke." She seethed, and then, like the train-wreck she resembled, Karin left- leaving a very shocked, very wet Uchiha in her wake.

If her decreased motivation for doing anything labor intensive (like starting a fight) wasn't owning her right now, Aiko would have decked the fangirl redhead on the spot. But thinking better of it, Aiko restrained her rage, because Uchiha's were practically renown for their short temper, all thanks to an unfortunate incident that'd gone down way before she was born. One of your ancestors goes bonkers, and you all get branded as psychos.

_And we're to psychos? I think I just met a real genuine, psycho._

If there were **_four _**things Aiko knew for sure, it'd be that **_one_**: this summer royally sucked, **_two_**: she'd have some irreparable hearing damage after this, _**three**_: she was not a party person, and **_four_** her shirt reeked of beer.

_I need to find a bathroom. _Aiko thought, fingering the wet material between her hands. _And Pronto._

* * *

**_~oOo~_**

* * *

The gentle summer breeze rustled through the trees in Konoha as a new day started, at the crack of dawn. The slow ascent of the sun quickly set the pace of the morning, each creature and human awakening to start the tasks awaiting them. Birds sang their gleeful melodies, much to the annoyance of light sleepers who wished to catch a few more hours of rest, and would happily shut the birds up with violent methods if possible. Working men and women begrudgingly turned off their alarms to make a hasty journey towards their workplaces, and the occasional teenager had just fallen asleep after hours of solitude, with the companion of the soft hum of a computers fan, and the luminescence of a monitor. It was a peaceful day.

Well...not for everyone.

Aiko woke up to sirens, screaming, a major back-ache, and a smelly shirt that _vaguely_ smelled like liquor.

"Uchiha, I know you're in there! Open Up!" Suigetsu's fully alert voice yelled through the door. He sounded pissed, and perturbed.

_Suigetsu?_ She thought. Wait,_ what?_

Light spewed through the window a few feet about her head, and Aiko cracked her eyes open fully, now absorbing the situation. Rubbing her aching back, feeling more than disoriented, Aiko checked her phone.

**_6:23 a.m_**

_Shit._

She had, undoubtedly, and most unceremoniously locked, and passed out in the Hozuki's upstairs bathroom. Last thing she remembered was taking off her shirt to wash it out, making sure to lock the door behind her. Then, she hung the shirt up and thought to wait until it dryed up a bit. Apparently, she'd fallen asleep during it all. Who does that? Falls asleep in a bathroom no less, trying to wash out your shirt? Apparently Aiko did.

The pounding on the door increased, and Aiko muttered a few curses before jumping out of the shower-tub combo faster than a shonen protagonist could start a lengthy flashback monolog. Throwing the door open, but not before remembering to put her shirt back on, (boy that would've been awkward) she was greeted with a worried looking, _hungover_ Suigetsu, and he looked slightly better than polished crap. If she hadn't heard police sirens in the distance, she'd have made a sarcastic comment, because Suigetsu made it a point to always look put together.

Even his normally, perfectly styled hair looked a miserable tinted green in the early morning light.

"Did you do this?" He hissed accusingly, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts. Grabbing her roughly by the elbow, his gaze was downright hostile. She wrenched her arm out of his grasp.

"What? No!" _What would that benefit me? "_Why would I do **_that_**?

_whatever __**that**__ was._

From across the hall, a door busted open, and the sound resounded throughout the hall. Out came an even crappier, peeved- looking Mangestu- clothed only in his jeans from last night. He shot the coldest glare over to his brother (_obviously not a morning person_) while a girl, wearing minimal amounts of clothing- scurried past them. It didn't take a genius to venture what had been going down in that room last night- or rather morning.

"What's going on?" He demanded in a harsh tone, voice radiating throughout the halls. His posture was alert, rigid. When his eyes landed on Aiko, he looked briefly confused, then annoyed at her presence, but didn't question it. Mostly his eyes were trained on his brother, as if they were the only two in the room.

_I wish I knew that as well. But no, I just woke up to this. I'm just as confused as you buddy._

Suigetsu raked a hand through his hair. "_Somebody,_" he scowled at Aiko. Rude much. "Called the _cops _on us_._" Oh... So that's why he looked so worried. "They're going to be here any second to bust us."

Aiko felt her blood run cold. This was bad, especially if she was here. Why were the cops here? Who called them? If they caught her, would she have a criminal record? Was this going to ruin her life forever? She was most certainly panicking.

_How can I get out of here? _almost contemplating turning back around and climbing out the bathroom window, her shoulders slumped forward. It was no use. She didn't know how to climb for shit, almost failed gym, and would resemble a fish out of water trying to do charades if she even tried.

Mangetsu let loose a slew of curses before jamming an angry fist into the wall so hard, it left quite a mark. He inspected his hand briefly but didn't seem like the pain affected him. Making eye-contact with the alert guy was not a good idea. Big mistake. Mangetsu looked ready to run her over with a Harley multiple times.

"It wasn't me!" She cried defensively. "I was asleep for the last few hours! I swear!"

"You fell asleep in our bathroom?" Suigetsu echoed incredulously. Yes, she had. hadn't then gone over this already? There were more important things to be worried about! Mostly the fact that they could be _arrested_ any second.

"W-well...yeah!" Aiko said, her anxiety mixing with irritation. She was starting to remember how much she hated Suigetsu.

"Who the hell falls asleep in somebody's bathroom?!"

Aiko blushed in embarrassment. "Wasn't my fault!"

He took a moment to inspect her, and wrinkled a nose in disgust. "You look like shit you know."

_If only he knew he'd complimented this "shit" earlier._

What a charmer. She scowled back. Like he was one to talk.

"Back at you, asshole." She shot.

"I fucking hate you." Suigetsu sighed.

"Glad the feeling's mutual."

"...Does anybody else smell burning?" Mangetsu commented offhandedly.

The question froze both of the bickering teens in their places, and all three exchanged cryptic glances. Now that he mentioned it, the hallway smelled of smoke, but the source wasn't here. No...it was...from somewhere else.

Sirens...what if...?

They all rushed downstairs. It wasn't hard, as many of the party-goers had split as soon as they heard sirens, and the only real obstacles was the trash left behind in the chaos. Almost tumbling over each other, Mangestu, Suigetsu, and Aiko found their ways to the front door. Before leaving, all Aiko could think was, _it's going to suck cleaning all this trash up, _because the floor was almost completely covered in cups and paper-plates.

Out on the lawn, the situation changed dramatically.

No, the sirens weren't the police. They weren't here to arrest the Hozuki's for having a completely illegal, on more than one account, party. They weren't here to arrest the many intoxicated kids passed out inside of the house behind them. They weren't here on complaint of too-loud music, or scantily clad minors.

Aiko felt like vomiting, and the Hozuki's just stared agape, eyes wide as dinner plates at the scene unfolding in front of their eyes. If that wasn't bad enough, they turned to stare at her, full on- without any malice or teasing in their eyes. All three just stared, in mutual unadulterated horror, which meant this was, very, very bad and very, very real.

She was waiting to wake up and dub this whole thing as a terribly lame dream, to which she'd forgot about five minutes later. But- that moment never happened. The sirens just got closer, and very quickly everything seemed _real._

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.**_ Shit_**."

If there were**_ five _**things Aiko knew for sure, it'd be that **_one_**: this summer royally sucked, **_two_**: she'd have some irreparable hearing damage after this, _**three**_: she was not a party person, **_four_** her shirt reeked of beer and **_five_**, she was going to be in big trouble.

Because- the flames that were practically engulfing her home were anything but friendly looking.

* * *

**_~oOo~_**

* * *

**I feel like this is a good step up from my previous writing, but what do you guys think? I suppose this is kind of like a prologue, but I'm happy it's finished. Things will advance much faster than they did previously.**

**If you would feel inclined to, I'd really appreciate a reivew- I'm really grateful for constructive criticism and suggestions. **

**That's it folks!**

**(4/10/15)**

**-dreamwithinadream262**


	2. The Worst Wednesday Ever

**Holy crap I'm back- and alive. I've rewritten this chapter six times before I actually liked it, and the last months of school went by so fast. But good news is I'm back, and I think I'll be posting more, it being summer and all. Or at least I hope.**

**-And that my poor readers was the author's note I wrote three months ago. I'm resigned to say I'm a slacker, but I did rewrite this chapter 6 times. Note: Planning is the most important thing in storytelling, and yet I despise it- hence my long arse hiatus. I'm sorry, I truly am, but I'm just in all sense of the word: a procrastinator. I've got a few things up my sleeve though.**

**-AND THAT MY POOR READERS WAS THE AUTHORS NOTE I WROTE 6 MOTHS AGO. WOW I AM A PROCRASTINATOR. *Hasn't updated this fic in a year but has had the chapter written for 7 months* Last time I updated I was 15...WEIRDDDD**

**So what have I been doing in this year besides not updating? Well...not much. I started a webcomic if anyone is interested though. **

** en/challenge/galaxy-cough-medicine/list?title_no=24053**

**I dreamwithinadream262 do not own Naruto**

* * *

_**Recap**_

* * *

She was waiting to wake up and dub this whole thing as a terribly lame dream, to which she'd forgot about five minutes later. But- that moment never happened. The sirens just got closer, and very quickly everything seemed real.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. _**Shit**_."

If there were _**five**_ things Aiko knew for sure, it'd be that _**one**_: this summer royally sucked, _**two**_: she'd have some irreparable hearing damage after this, _**three**_: she was not a party person, _**four**_ her shirt reeked of beer and _**five**_, she was going to be in big trouble.

Because- the flames that were practically engulfing her home were anything but friendly looking.

* * *

_**~oOo~**_

* * *

Wednesday, Aiko decided, was officially the new Monday.

After being dogpiled into her lawn by some firefighters who thought she had a deathwish (running towards a burning building- not her brightest idea), crying her eyes out pathetically in full view of the Hozuki's and Konaha 9 News, and lastly being carted off in a police van- Aiko was surprisingly fairing well for somebody in her situation. At least...for now that was.

The news report that detailed the event on repeat every hour neglected to make the whole 'congrats, you're now homeless situation' any better, nor did it prepare her for the hours to come. Everyone must've heard by now.

In short- worst Wednesday ever- but hey, at least the police station had air conditioning, which was a marginal improvement from outside, although she'd've rather taken the sweltering conditions over the glances she got every few seconds as people started to connect that she was _that_ girl on the tv screen.

Her sooty, grass-stained, beer-smelling pajamas completed the 'teenager who makes bad decisions' look, and apparently that drew more attention than the Hozuki's, who both looked as if they were in a first-person shooter game, and everyone had "target sighted" written over their faces. They'd arrived at the Police station shortly after her arrival, clothed, and apparently ready to provide info if needed. If anything, Aiko assumed they were just here to clear suspicion from themselves, both already having criminal records and all. When they'd sat down across from her, Aiko angrily blew away a strand of hair that kept falling into her face and slouched further into the uncomfortable wooden bench.

Aiko fingered the soiled material disdainfully.

It was downright pathetic.

Correction; she was downright pathetic.

The police wanted to ask questions- questions she most definitely didn't have answers to- and it was that troubling thought that weighed on her mind more than anything. That, and the prospect of calling her parents to notify them that they didn't have a home to come back to- and it may or may have not been all her fault. There was also the chance they'd already heard about it and were on their way back to Konoha at the very moment. Hopefully, it was the former, because then she had more time to think, even though both scenarios hardly benefited her.

She felt exhausted; tired, unhappy, sleep-deprived, anxious- and for now? Numb. Maybe in a few hours the full brunt of this horrible fiasco would hit her again, and then she'd truly have one of those cliche mental breakdowns like in the movies, fueled with the hysteria of out-of-whack hormones and teenage angst. But, there was one thing Aiko knew for sure, and it was that _this sucked,_ and everything was about to get suckier.

"Hey, it's not like the world is ending," Suigestsu commented from beside her. His presence was starting to get harder and harder to ignore as it was when dealing with somebody who just radiated _asshole_. "-There are worse things that could've happened. You're alive right?"

_Such amazing tact._

Aiko peeled her gaze from the floor to stare directly into her neighbor's eyes and gave him the most deadpan stare she could muster. Her voice sounded pathetically hoarse, but the bitter sarcasm still made itself evident. "Well, aren't you the optimist Hozuki."

He rolled his eyes and slouched further into the wooden bench as far as he could. "I'm just trying to cheer you up. You look like you're about to go postal. _Bitch_." He added under his breath.

Aiko scoffed. "How sympathetic of you."

"Tch." With his arms crossed over his chest, it was easy to see her snide comments affecting him, which wasn't a healthy outlet for her anger, but was helping to distract from the obvious. "You're just lucky we're helping you out. You could be all alone in this, you know."

A brief pang of heartache shook through her at his comment. _Alone? As if I'm not already. _But he did have a point...sort of.

"Thanks _so_ much for the help. I'll remember you next time I send 'Best Neighbor' Thank You cards!"

Nobody ever said Suigetsu was a great motivator.

"Why are you such a sarcastic bitch all the time?" He hissed.

Well, nobody ever said Suigetsu was an eloquent speaker either.

She tried to keep her tone even and hoped he didn't see the way her knuckles were turning white. _Unbelievable. _No way in hell did she want Suigetsu's sympathy, (she wasn't even certain he was capable of it) but she at least expected him to have the smallest bit of courtesy towards her. He couldn't even manage one kind word, or better- not saying anything at all. The frown on his face only furthered Aiko's anger because she was the unfortunate one. He didn't deserve to be pissed off. His house wasn't the one that had burned down for God's sake!

_What an idiotic, egotistical, arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic, felonious, pea-brained bastard!_

Maybe she was overreacting, but they both acted like being down here with her was the end of the world. New's flash Suigetsu: It was practically the end of hers.

Suigetsu took once glance at her face, which was not fairing well to hide her frustration and anger, and promptly wrinkled his nose in disgust before scowling.

"What's your issue?" He hissed.

_Ex-fucking-cuse me?_

"...My issue?" She repeated tersely.

Mangetsu raised a brow at the spectacle

Suigestsu sneered, before facing her completely with an expression that could only be described as condescending-irritation. "What, are you deaf now too? Do I have to repeat it? What's your issue- you've been glaring at me for the last three minutes and frankly I find it fucking rude. You should be grateful we're even sitting here with you in this dump."

Aiko scoffed- She's lost most of her self-preservation at this point. "Rude?! I'm the one being rude?! And what? I should be grateful?! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Did I stutter?"

His apathy only furthered her impending anger.

Her sarcasm levels spiraled off the charts.

"Oh, I'm so _sorry _that my house burning down wasn't convenient for you." She started dramatically, "Next time I'll check your schedule to make sure there's no conflicts of interests because obviously the world revolves around Suigetsu and I just didn't get the memo. Silly me, I thought freak accidents were well, freak accidents! Apparently I was wrong."

Mangetsu was trying hard to not laugh.

Suigetsu's eyes lowered into slits. "Bitch."

"Is that the only word you know?"

He ignored her after that.

It wasn't until five minutes later when he grumbled "What's her deal" just loud enough for Aiko to hear that she truly lost her shit. Now, the girl was usually very good at handling stress (let's be real that's a lie)- but today everything she had learned about controlling her emotions decided to 'nope' out of her brain, leaving the chaos known as a pissed-off, stressed, Uchiha in its wake.

What started out as a 'polite' (masked anger) tangent went South real fast. So South that it became North again.

"I don't know Suigetsu," This is where it all went downhill- "Maybe I don't like the fact that my house is a smoldering pile of ash right now! Or possibly I don't like the fact that I'm practically homeless-" Her voice was getting louder, and something in her mind told her to stop, but she ignored it. She was going to regret this whole "speech" later- but when Aiko snapped, she _snapped- _and future Aiko was not going to be happy about it, "-or that your psychotic mental-ass fangirl "friend" - who for some reason is obsessed with my broody-as-shit cousin -threw alcohol on me- which was rude, and insulting- and I've just had the worst night of my life- and hell- maybe I'm tired of saying self-centered pricks telling me things could be worse, when things are pretty bad right now!" Angry tears threatened to fall, and she couldn't blink them away. "Maybe," Her voice cracked," That's my deal."

At this point, Suigetsu simply stared at her, and Mangetsu actually turned to listen to her tangent. She'd been mad at them before, she was practically always mad at them- but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out this wasn't just anger. It was the stress, anxiety, and everything else brought on by the fire. Before it had just been casual mutual hate and anger over stupid things (okay, so maybe setting someone's mailbox on fire wasn't so casual)- but this was intimate anger. Real, serious life anger, the kind of stuff you'd confide in a friend- and by no means were any of them friends.

This was getting uncomfortable and weird.

Aiko continued on with her stress-fueled rant.

"-I don't know what's going to happen next! I don't know what I'm going to do or where I'm going to go, or how this'll be sorted out and I'm tired. I want to go home and sleep, but that's not an option- and I just wish you'd stop being an asshole for once because- God it's frustrating, and-and!" The words wouldn't come out. "...and-!"

She didn't get to finish the sentence before a tidal wave of emotions hit her like a freight train, and if she was pathetic before, man was she pathetic now.

And this was the moment Aiko broke down for real, tears, snot and all. Her face was flushed and blotchy, an unfortunate side effect that always happened when she cried, and she offhandedly thought that if she hadn't been in this situation, the scene would've been remotely comical. Her- crying, in front of the Hozuki's.

_Absolutely fucking scandalous._

She'd never live this down.

"A-Are you crying?!" Suigetsu choked out.

If she hadn't known better she'd've thought he actually sounded shocked- or remorseful.

"No, I have dust in my eyes- of course I'm crying you bastard!" She spoke between sobs.

"I'm...sorry!? Stop...?!" He was at a complete loss of what to do and mentally cursed his social skills. He really didn't like her but he didn't want her to cry- that made him seem like a complete douche, which he was, but that was beside the point!

Against his own better (twisted) judgment, he reached out and managed a few awkward, heavy-handed pats on her shoulder as he shared a wide-eyed glance with Mangetsu, who wasn't really reacting at all, except for a look of dark amusement as he watched his flustered brother.

Between her sniffles and hiccups, Aiko croaked out a hoarse laugh. "No you're not, Hozuki. You're not sorry."

She was absolutely right. The only thing he was sorry for was being her verbal punching bag.

"...Alright? Then, I'm not sorry?" He was convinced she was just confusing the hell out of him on purpose, or possibly, she was mentally ill or something because nothing was making sense. Not apologizing didn't work, and neither did actually apologizing. Worst of all he was starting to actually feel sorry for her, which was a complete turnaround from last night, where even in his drunken state he clearly remembered the same malice he's harbored towards her for well, I don't know- the last seven years! Moral of the story, when shit happens, things change- confusing things, like not hating your idiotic neighbor for once.

This day was just a train-wreck, for all of them.

More sniffles. "And you're really weird when you're drunk, you know? Your hair color is stupid and you're an awful motivator. You're an asshole with a really bad temper and I don't even like you. You really suck." She muttered, and for some reason kept laughing and crying simultaneously. Suigetsu retracted his hand and crossed his arms over his chest indignantly. He didn't even want to waste the energy of reacting. She was crazy.

"I wasn't notified that it was 'insult Suigetsu day." He monotonously droned.

"Everyday is insult Suigetsu day." Mangetsu butted in lazily.

He tried to feign a betrayed look. "You too Brutus?"

Somehow, that arose some laughter from Mangetsu.

"Uchiha." Mangetsu called, causing the girl to look up at him through a curtain of tangled, black hair. His tone betrayed no signs of emotion, but the same matter-of-fact voice he used with everyone, except the general trace of anger usually laced with his words showed exhaustion. "What my idiot brother is trying to say is that things could be much worse. Consider this a right of passage, you're alive. Although I'd prefer you didn't use our bathroom as a guest room, better that then you burning to death." He flashed a thin, humorlessness smile.

"I-I guess you're right." Aiko choked out.

Mangestu continued.

"This day is going to be over soon, and another day will come after that- and after that weeks, months, years will pass by. Are You going to break down now? Save it for later- you're going to need it then." He gestured around the room. "This right now is just the calm before the storm."

That didn't make her feel any better.

"Was that supposed to be inspiring?" She wiped her nose on her hoodie sleeve.

Mangetsu deadpanned. "It was supposed to be _realistic_."

She didn't even bother replying.

They didn't bother continuing the conversation.

The next few minutes seemed like hours, the only noise coming from the dingy television in the corner and the shuffling of papers. That was until a voice yelled from the other side of the room.

"Aiko Uchiha?" They all whipped their heads around to stare at the secretary. She locked eyes with Aiko and gave her a tight smile, whilst pointing in the direction of a door in the corner. "They're ready for you." Then, as she stared passed the girl her eyes narrowed into accusing slits of recognition. "Ah, and I see you're back again Hozuki. I can't imagine what you've done this time."

Mangetsu cracked a genuine smile the time, laughing as he got up from the bench. "Which Hozuki. Me, or my brother?"

"Almost forget there were two of you." She droned.

"You wound me, really."

The rest of the conversation was a blur, but eventually, Aiko was guided to the right direction and into a questioning room. She briefly considered her options, if there were any- and hoped to god the redness had faded from her eyes because she didn't want to have another thing to explain due to misinterpretations. Minutes later, A surprisingly young, tired-looking man who introduced himself as Raido began his questions without wasting time. His slightly unkempt appearance told of the busy morning he'd had- and the inconspicuous scar on his face told a story of the busy career he'd endured thus far.

Aiko- against better judgement as she would see- decided to take a long drink of water at the very moment the first question left his lips.

"First question-" He digressed, a solid expression replacing the dour frown he'd worn seconds before. "Where were you this morning when the fire broke out?"

Aiko promptly choked.

This was about to get very embarrassing, and self-incriminating.

_**~oOo~**_

The next hour was draining, brutal, and most of all...anticlimactic.

Very anticlimactic

When Aiko had recounted the entire story, starting from her trudge up the Hozuki's steps to waking up in their bathtub- she expected some speculation and suspicion. But Raido proved her best and worst fears simultaneously with three words: "I believe you."

"Y-You believe me?!" She had choked out.

He walked around the wooden table in which they had been sitting, and smirked.

"What reason would you have to lie?"

That was most definitely a rhetorical question.

"-Although," He continued cryptically "I could think of a few reasons somebody else would have to lie. Accidents like this" He emphasized the word 'accident' "don't happen without some..._encouragement_. You understand what I'm saying?"

The corners of her mouth quirked down in a grim frown. There was no mistaking his use of the word _encouragement. _

"You think somebody did this on purpose?" Aiko blurted. But that was...impossible! Well then again, there was alcohol, and cigarettes, and irresponsible young adults in the premise at the time- but what really lacked was a motive. Why would anyone target her family?

Raido threw a file on the table and motioned for her to examine it. She tentatively obliged. Inside were a series of photos Aiko realized were taken in what was once her home- but that's not what caught her attention. In what was left of her living room a large symbol was carved into the tiled floors. It was distinct in appearance, but without any knowledge of its origin- Aiko was sunk. The symbol meant as much to her as people meant to Sasuke- which literally meant nothing.

"-We don't think this was on purpose" Raido discoursed ."We know. Whoever is responsible wanted us to know who they were- But the real question is, do you know who they are? Does anything look familiar?"

She studied the photos before a defeated sigh escaped her lips- and proceeded to bang her head into the table dejectedly. "I have no idea."

"Hmm," Raido contemplated, running a hand through his shaggy, brown hair. Then, he perked up. "Do you think there'd be any motives? Does anything come to mind? Someone with a grudge or a business motive?"

She shrugged. This was getting so much more complicated and confusing than she'd ever imagined.

"I honestly can't think of anything. As far as I know my family hasn't done anything to piss anyone off that bad- or at least not so much that they'd try to burn our house down."

Or at least, that's what she thought. Didn't really matter what the motive was to her anyways. The simple fact remained that someone had set her house on fire, and ultimately succeeded.

"...Interesting." He finally said after minutes of speculation.

The detective then said nothing more and resumed a stoic position as he became lost in his thoughts.

In five minutes however, the silence proved awkward and downright worrying.

"Do you uh have any suspects in mind?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Not definitely, but we have an idea. However, I can't really say until things are certain. The problem with these cases is the little amount of evidence left at the crime scene. We don't need to prove it's an arson- that's already certain...but whoever these guys are, they know what they're doing. No witnesses saw them, and of course all DNA evidence was destroyed in the fire.

"Oh."

She felt so helpless. It all felt so helpless.

"But don't worry, we'll catch them- whoever did this. We can't have an arsonist- or _arsonists _for that matter running the streets of Konaha, can we?"

"Certainly not sir."

"Exactly."

It was starting to get stuffy in there- and if Aiko didn't get out of there quick, she'd go insane. She realized it had been awhile since his last question - so they were basically done...weren't they?

"Can I uh- leave now?" She asked nonchalantly, though her heart was hammering faster than an arcade game protagonist. She was half expecting the detective to cuff her bereft self to the chair until he got any real answers.

Instead, Raido smiled- genuinely this time.

"Why of course. You're of no suspicion here. Which reminds me- there's someone outside who claims to know you. Does the name Shisui mean anything to you?"

Oh, did it.

She offered the answer graciously.

"That would be my cousin."

He nodded in understanding and offered a hand to shake in formality. She took it.

"Well, it was pleasant talking with you. If there's any more evidence, we'll contact your family."

"Duly noted." She replied.

"...And Aiko?" Her hand froze on the doorknob, and she turned back around to face the detective who through her a disconcerting glance.

"Yes…?"

"Stay safe."

_Stay safe._

The phrase eerily reminded her of her brief conversation with Sasuke the day before.

She swallowed thickly before attempting a weak smile.

"I'll try."

And with those parting words, she left the questioning room.

The walk back to the lobby was surprisingly short, and thankfully company was waiting for her.

Even though she'd just had one hell of a day, Aiko was excited and relieved to see her cousin, even under these pretenses. He stood out like a sore thumb in the less - than - crowded lobby, onyx black hair similar to her own discernable from a mile away.

She thought back to that last time she'd seen him last Christmas, and even though this meeting wasn't prompted by any type of good situation, she was happy it was him to pick her up from this fiasco. When they were younger she'd always regarded him to some kind of unholy degree- convinced he'd be her knight in shining armor. Of course, that never became a reality (unless she noted the time when their family member's had dressed him up as one-but that _hardly_ counted.) Perhaps he wasn't her knight in shining armor-, but he _was _her knight in shining argyle sweater vest now.

She smiled wryly to herself, despite the overbearing sense of dread that threatened to consume her.

"You look worse for wear than me...and it was _my_ house that burned down." She attempted to joke as she neared Shisui, whose bedhead rivaled her own. The bags under his eyes, no doubt caused from another night's worth of studying, only added to his disheveled appearance

_He must've come as soon as he heard. _

Shisui turned around, casting a cursory glance to the person he'd been talking to- a tall, _young _blond guy that appeared anything less than happy to be there. She'd interrupted their conversation. _Whoops. _ -But he didn't care.

Instead of wasting time with meaningless conversation, Shisui simply enveloped Aiko in a bear hug, almost crushing her in the process. It was all he could do given the circumstances. "Thank god you're alright." He muttered, thinking about their entire family. Usually, he was the first to respond when bad things happened- but never this _bad. _"I came as soon as I heard. Why didn't you call?"

A humorless laugh. "Would've," Aiko said, pulling her very _dead_ phone out of her pocket. "But, charger's not uh- in operation and won't be for a _long_ time you could say."

Shisui tried to stop the frown that was pulling at his lips in order to spare her any more feelings of worry. "Gotcha."

"Yeah…"

She felt _small. _

A derisive snort sounding from behind them brought both of their attentions to _the _blonde watching the whole spectacle. She observed him from behind Shisui. The guy wasn't that much taller than her, but still had about three more inches than her meager height. His eyes were a striking crystalline blue, but that wasn't the most eye-catching feature. His_ hair_ from what Aiko could see was just about as long, or _longer _than hers, and at the moment, it looked a_ whole _lot better than the rats nest she was sporting.

He squinted at Aiko, scrutinizing her face in curiosity as he'd never seen her before- but it wasn't hard to identify the resemblance. Uchiha's- they all looked the same. She, on the other hand cast him a tentative glance, as she'd forgotten about his presence entirely. A sudden thought came to mind.

She must've looked like_ shit _in his eyes.

The stranger (or at least to her) made no effort to acknowledge her presence and cast a stolid, fiery glance over to Shisui. When he spoke, his voice was _deep._

"I don't have any information, I promise. As much as I don't necessary get along with Itachi, I don't condone _this. _The others already know so, if we hear _anything_, you'll be the first to know about it."

_Itachi? _What was that about?

Shisui nodded, weaving a hand through his black tresses. " Thanks, I really appreciate it, and if it's any consolation I know you didn't do it. You'd never go that low, and even so, wouldn't be stupid enough to make it _obvious_."

Rumbling laughter. "Glad you have so much faith in me _Uchiha, _though," his face lit up considerably, a wistful expression shadowing over his features. "If I had done it_, _trust me, you would know. I take my _art_ seriously, yeah."

"Oh I know that for sure." Shusui humorlessly laughed in a knowing tone, though he'd hardly call what Deidara made _art._ He coaxed a fake smile to his lips so Aiko couldn't hint at the implications of his next sentence. "Just, be careful Deidara. There are worse things than _false accusations _around here. Even you could get _burned._

A curt nod in response.

He'd caught the warning .

Bidding the artist farewell, Shusui steered Aiko outside, making long strides to get back to his car.

"_Who was that?" _She asked when they finally made it. He fished for his keys and unlocked the car door.

"Just Konoha's resident pyromaniac…" the engine, sounding like a tin can in a washing machine hummed to life. College job salary or not he needed to buy a new car. "That hardly matters now. You want to get breakfast or-?"

Aiko didn't need to think for a response.

"Just take me to the main house please."

"Alright. Got it." They pulled out of the driveway. "Aiko?"

"Hm?" She barely heard him through her sleepy trance.

"Are you okay?"

Her gaze lowered to her hand in her lap.

_Things could be much worse._

"Let's hope."

* * *

**Funny enough autocorrect kept wanting me to change Raido to "Radio"**

**Fanfiction...it's nice to be back**

**This fanfiction is flame friendly (:**

**~_dreamwithinadream262_**


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